"[19], The North Vietnamese occasionally released prisoners for propaganda or other purposes. William J., Navy, New Manchester, W. Va. McKAMEY, Comdr. [10]:79 No matter the opinion of the public, the media became infatuated with the men returned in Operation Homecoming who were bombarded with questions concerning life in the VC and PAVN prison camps. SCHOEFFEL, Comdr. [2] It was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners agitating for independence who were often subject to torture and execution. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. In the North Vietnamese city of Hanoi, hundreds of American soldiers were captured and kept prisoner in the Ha L prison, which the Americans ironically dubbed the Hanoi Hilton.. On February 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick up released prisoners of war. Operation Homecoming was the return of 591 American prisoners of war (POWs) held by North Vietnam following the Paris Peace Accords that ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Who was the most famous prisoner at the Hanoi Hilton? James W., Navy, Carthage, Miss. (U.S. Air Force photo) Operation Homecoming for Vietnam POWs marks 40 years Roger G., Navy, not in previous public lists. November 27, 2021. . March 29, 1973. Rio Helmi/LightRocket/Getty ImagesDuring the French colonial period, Vietnamese prisoners were detained and tortured at the Ha L prison. Individuals are permitted to take their own photographs or videos while touring the museum. Comdr. Notorious Hanoi prison held both Vietnamese and American prisoners By Michael Aquino Updated on 02/21/21 Prisoner diorama at Hoa Lo Prison ("Hanoi Hilton") in Vietnam. This place held many politicians, great revolutionaries of Vietnam who opposed the French . [29], Of the 13 prisons used to incarcerate POWs, five were located in Hanoi, and the remainder were situated outside the city.[31]. Claude D., Navy, San Diego, Calif. JENKINS, Capt. - Diaper bags Hoa Lo Prison, after all, is a place best known in the West as one of the prisons where American pilots who had been shot down and captured were kept as prisoners of war (although, technically, the North Vietnamese did not regard the pilots as "prisoners of war" in a legal sense). As of 26 July 2019 the Department of Defense's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency listed 1,587 Americans as missing in the war of which 1,009 were classified as further pursuit, 90 deferred and 488 non-recoverable. The Vietnam War - known in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America - lasted from November 1, 1955, until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. The culture of the POWs held at the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison was on full display with the story that would come to be known as the "Kissinger Twenty". COLLINS, Major Thomas Edward, Air Force, Jackson, Mississippi, captured Oct. 1965. and Indiana Governor, Dies at 74", "Vietnam: The Betrayal of A Revolution; Victims of Discredited Doctrine, My People Now Look to America", "American Experience: Return With Honor: Online Forum", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=U.S._prisoners_of_war_during_the_Vietnam_War&oldid=1140276278, Vietnam War crimes committed by North Vietnam, Articles with dead external links from March 2022, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Borling, John: Taps on the Walls; Poems from the Hanoi Hilton (2013) Master Wings Publishing Pritzker Military Library, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 09:35. [16] Although North Vietnam was a signatory of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949,[16] which demanded "decent and humane treatment" of prisoners of war, severe torture methods were employed, such as rope bindings, irons, beatings, and prolonged solitary confinement. Dismiss. Meanwhile, Paul was taken prisoner, tortured, placed in solitary confinement in what became known as the "Hanoi Hilton" and fed a diet that was later determined to be about 700 calories a day, which caused him to drop to about 100 pounds. [21] This created the "Camp Unity" communal living area at Ha L, which greatly reduced the isolation of the POWs and improved their morale.[14][21]. Comdr. (U.S. Air Force photo), DAYTON, Ohio - Typical bowls, plate and spoons issued to POWs. Rodney A., Navy, Billings, Mont. The ropes were tightened to the point that you couldnt breathe. The name Ha L, commonly translated as "fiery furnace" or even "Hell's hole",[1] also means "stove". [13], The returning of POWs was often a mere footnote following most other wars in U.S. history, yet those returned in Operation Homecoming provided the country with an event of drama and celebration. Jobs People Learning Dismiss Dismiss. Paul telling his story to the crowd at the Freedom Museum. "[18], After making statements, the POWs would admit to each other what had happened, lest shame or guilt consume them or make them more vulnerable to additional North Vietnamese pressure. [12] One later described the internal code the POWs developed, and instructed new arrivals on, as: "Take physical torture until you are right at the edge of losing your ability to be rational. [8], U.S. prisoners of war in North Vietnam were subjected to extreme torture and malnutrition during their captivity. MILLER, Lieu, Edwin F., Navy, Franklin Lakes, N. J. MOBLEY, Lieut, Joseph S., Navy, Manhattan Beach, Calif. MOLINARE, Lieut. Heynowski and Scheumann asked them about the contradictions in their self image and their war behavior and between the Code of the United States Fighting Force and their behavior during and after capture. McCLEARY, Lieut. [9], In addition, the return of the nearly 600 POWs further polarized the sides of the American public and media. Leonard R., Jr., Malic esstot named in previous public lists. The French called the prison Maison Centrale,[1] 'Central House', which is still the designation of prisons for dangerous or long sentence detainees in France. Peter R., Navy, Naples, Fla., captured October, 1967. They even used this code to tell jokes a kick on the wall meant a laugh. [11][14], During one such event in 1966, then-Commander Jeremiah Denton, a captured Navy pilot, was forced to appear at a televised press conference, where he famously blinked the word "T-O-R-T-U-R-E" with his eyes in Morse code, confirming to U.S. intelligence that U.S. prisoners were being harshly treated. Then, bowed or bent in half, the prisoner was hoisted up onto the hook to hang by ropes. An official website of the United States government, National Museum of the United States Air Force. [We realize], over time, that we all fall short of what we aspire to be. Charles G. Boyd, USAF pilot, POW for almost 7 years, retired general; the only Vietnam-era POW to reach a four-star rank. [29] The old-time POWs cheered even more during the intense "Christmas Bombing" campaign of December 1972,[29][30] when Hanoi was subjected for the first time to repeated B-52 Stratofortress raids. In addition to memoirs, the U.S. POW experience in Vietnam was the subject of two in-depth accounts by authors and historians, John G. Hubbell's P.O.W. Alfred H. Agnew, Navy, Mullins, S. C., listed as missing since being shot down on Dec. 29, 1972. Then they really got serious and gave you something called the rope trick.. All of the men who escaped in North Vietnam were recaptured, usually, but not always, within the first day. Tames, Navy, Lakeland, Fla., captured October, 1965. But McCain, for one, still came to terms with his time at the horrific Hanoi Hilton. [25], Nevertheless, by 1971, some 3050percent of the POWs had become disillusioned about the war, both because of the apparent lack of military progress and what they heard of the growing anti-war movement in the U.S. and some of them were less reluctant to make propaganda statements for the North Vietnamese. Finally, they set him in a full-body cast, then cut the ligaments and cartilage from his knee. And that is where forgiveness comes in. The first group had spent six to eight years as prisoners of war. - Strollers Unlike U.S. service members captured in World War II and the Korean War, who were mostly enlisted troops, the overwhelming majority of Vietnam-era POWs were officers, most of them Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps airmen; a relatively small number of Army enlisted personnel were also captured, as well as one enlisted Navy seaman, Petty Officer Doug Hegdahl, who fell overboard from a naval vessel. Diego, Calif., captured Novent ber, 1967. Prisoner Sam Johnson, later a U.S. representative for nearly two decades, described this rope trick in 2015: As a POW in the Hanoi Hilton, I could recall nothing from military survival training that explained the use of a meat hook suspended from the ceiling. The film portrays fictional characters . American POW soldiers line up at the Hanoi Hilton prior to their release. The prison had no running water or electricity . ALVAREZ, Lieut. Permitted Items: Alan J., Marines, not named in previous lists. The former prisoners were to then be flown to Clark Air Base in the Philippines where they were to be processed at a reception center, debriefed, and receive a physical examination. One escape, which was planned to take place from the Hanoi Hilton, involved SR-71 Blackbirds flying overhead and Navy SEALs waiting at the mouth of the Red . So the Vietnamese moved them to a remote outpost, the one the POWs called Alcatraz. During the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese did the same to American soldiers. [16], Operation Homecoming's return of American POWs from Vietnam (aka "Egress Recap") was the subject of David O. Strickland's novel, "The First Man Off The Plane" (Penny-a-Page Press, 2012). Windell B. Rivers, Navy, Oxnard, Calif. ROLLINS, Lieut, Comdr. Commander Stockdale was the senior naval officer held captive in Hanoi, North Vietnam. Day's actions from 26 August 1967 through 14 March 1973 were the last to earn the Medal of Honor prior to the end of U.S. involvement in the war on 30 April 1975, though some honorees (e.g. McCain spent five and a half years at the Hanoi Hilton, a time that he documented in his 1999 book Faith of My Fathers. McCain was subjected to rope bindings and beatings during his time as a POW. John Owen, Air Force, Reading, Pa., captured February, 1967. U.S. officials saw this tape and Denton was later awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery. Directed by Lionel Chetwynd in 1987 with the stars of Michael Moriarty; Ken Wright, and Paul Le Mat; there is a film named The Hanoi Hilton. [10]:845 The former prisoners were slowly reintroduced, issued their back pay and attempted to catch up on social and cultural events that were now history. Newly freed prisoners of war celebrate as their C-141A aircraft lifts off from Hanoi, North Vietnam, on Feb. 12, 1973, during Operation Homecoming. Izvestia, a Soviet newspaper, accused The Pentagon of brainwashing the men involved in order to use them as propaganda, while some Americans claimed the POWs were collaborating with the communists or had not done enough to resist pressure to divulge information under torture. DOREMUS Lieut. [10]:84 However, access to the former prisoners was screened carefully and most interviews and statements given by the men were remarkably similar, leading many journalists to believe that the American government and military had coached them beforehand. Comdr. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Comdr. But at the same time the bonds of friendship and love for my fellow prisoners will be the most enduring memory of my five and a half years of incarceration.. HANOI, Vietnam Going inside the stone walls of the prison sarcastically dubbed the "Hanoi Hilton" brings a respite from the honking traffic outside until the iron shackles, dark cells and guillotine hammer home the suffering that went on there. EASTMAN, Comdr. Conditions at the Briarpatch were notoriously grim, even by the standards of North Vietnamese prisons. All visitors may be screened with a metal detector upon entry. Synonymous in the U.S. with torture of American pilots captured during the Vietnam War . Robert Ray, Marines, Not named in previous lists. [23][24], The post-raid consolidation brought many prisoners who had spent years in isolation into large cells holding roughly 70 men each. By 1954, when the French were ousted from the area, more than 2,000 men were housed within its walls, living in squalid conditions. US Prisoners of War who returned alive from the Vietnam War Sorted by Name Military Service Country of Incident Name Date of Incident Date of Rank Return USAF N. Vietnam BEENS, LYNN RICHARD O3 1972/12/21 1973/03/29 USN N. Vietnam BELL, JAMES FRANKLIN O4 1965/10/16 1973/02/12 CIVILIAN S. Vietnam BENGE, MICHAEL 1968/01/28 1973/03/05 The Horrifying Story Of Bobby Joe Long: From Classified Ad Rapist To Serial Killer, Larry Eyler Was Caught During His Murder Spree Then Released And Killed Dozens Of Young Men, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. The most notorious POW camp was Hoa Lo Prison, known to Americans as the "Hanoi Hilton." BALLARD, Lieut. [15], In the end, North Vietnamese torture was sufficiently brutal and prolonged that nearly every American POW so subjected made a statement of some kind at some time. On January 27, 1973, Henry Kissinger (then assistant to President Richard Nixon for national security affairs) agreed to a ceasefire with representatives of North Vietnam that provided for the withdrawal of American military forces from South Vietnam. "It's easy to die but hard to live," a prison guard told one new arrival, "and we'll show you just how hard it is to live." Among the last inmates was dissident poet Nguyn Ch Thin, who was reimprisoned in 1979 after attempting to deliver his poems to the British Embassy, and spent the next six years in Ha L until 1985 when he was transferred to a more modern prison. Everett Alvarez Jr., Mexican American, US Navy pilot, the 2nd longest-held U.S. POW, enduring over 8 years of captivity. Who was the most famous prisoner at the Hanoi Hilton? Fred R., Navy, North Dartmouth, Mass. Taken before TV cameras in order to film antiwar propaganda for the North Vietnamese, Denton blinked the work torture in Morse code the first evidence that life at the Hanoi Hilton was not what the enemy forces made it seem. Jeffrey E. Curry, Chinh T. Nguyen (1997). [15] The Hanoi Taxi was officially retired at Wright Patterson Air Force Base on May 6, 2006, just a year after it was used to evacuate the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The prison continued to be in use after the release of the American prisoners. U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. Among those acknowledged as prisoners in South Vietnam were Michael D. Ebge, Norman T. Brookens, and Richard W. Utecht, who worked for the Agency for International Development and were captured during the Tet offensive of 1968. By the time the Americans sent combat forces into Vietnam in 1965, the Ha L Prison had been reclaimed by the Vietnamese. [27], Only part of the prison exists today as a museum. Ha L Prison (Vietnamese:[hwa l], Nh t Ha L; French: Prison Ha L) was a prison in Hanoi originally used by the French colonists in Indochina for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. Tim Gerard Baker/Getty Images Nothing prepares you for how creepy Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, Vietnam can be. At the end of the war, these soldiers were finally freed from their own personal hell, many of them including the late Arizona Senator John McCain going on to become prominent politicians and public figures. [11] Rather, it was to break the will of the prisoners, both individually and as a group. The first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war left Hanoi in a C-141A, which later became known as the "Hanoi Taxi" and is now in a museum. [12] Nevertheless, the POWs obsessed over what they had done, and would years after their release still be haunted by the "confessions" or other statements they had made. [7], Overall, Operation Homecoming did little to satisfy the American public's need for closure on the war in Vietnam. But others were not so lucky. It was located near Hanoi's French Quarter. Open9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. A majority of the prisoners were held at camps in North Vietnam, however some POWs were held in at various locations throughout Southeast Asia. The museum is a fantastic publicity enterprise with so little link to the horrors that . [14][24] At this time, the prisoners formally organized themselves under the 4th Allied POW Wing, whose name acknowledged earlier periods of overseas captivity among American military personnel in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Cmdr., Robert J., Navy, Sheldon, Iowa, captured May 1967. Here, in a small structure. Henry D., Navy, identified on previous lists only as Carolina native, captured July 1972. - Water bottles (clear, sealed bottle, up to 20 oz.) Douglas Brent Hegdahl III (born September 3, 1946) is a former United States Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5) who was held as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. WANAT, Capt. DANIELS, Cmdr. The prison was demolished in the 90s and is now the site of a historical museum. [4][11][20] North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh had died the previous month, possibly causing a change in policy towards POWs. McCain spent five and a half years at the Hanoi Hilton, a time that he documented in his 1999 book "Faith of My Fathers." McCain was subjected to rope bindings and beatings during his time as a POW. Please note the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is not responsible for items left in vehicles. Michael P., Navy, Berkeley, Calif. DAIGLE, Lieut. American POWs in North Vietnam were released in early 1973 as part of Operation Homecoming, the result of diplomatic negotiations concluding U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. David Hume Kennerly/Getty ImagesAmerican POW soldiers line up at the Hanoi Hilton prior to their release. HARDMAN, Comdr. See the article in its original context from. When a few captured servicemen began to be released from North Vietnamese prisons during the Johnson administration, their testimonies revealed widespread and systematic abuse of prisoners of war. The Hanoi Hilton is the nickname that American prisoners gave the Ha L Prison. It was also located near the Hanoi French Quarter. The code was simple and easy to learn and could be taught without verbal instructions. Comdr. James M., Navy, Lemoore, Calif. HIGDON, Lieut. Navy Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr. spent over eight years as a POW, making him the longest resident of the Hanoi Hilton and the second longest held POW in American history. [19] As another POW later said, "To this day I get angry with myself. KAVANAUGH, Sgt. Many of the returned POWs struggled to become reintegrated with their families and the new American culture as they had been held in captivity for between a year to almost ten years. It was originally deliberated to hold Vietnamese . It was first built in the late 1890s by Vietnam's French colonizers as a central prison (Maison Centrale) for Vietnamese criminals. It was presumed, however, Mr, Sieverts said, that any Americans believed to be missing in South Vietnam, and not on the list, were probably dead. American POW soldiers inside their jail cell at the Hanoi Hilton prior to their release. * Firearms, to include conceal carry and other dangerous weapons, are specifically prohibited in Federal facilities in accordance with 18 USC 930 (c) [5], John L. Borling, a former POW returned during Operation Homecoming, stated that once the POWs had been flown to Clark Air Base, hospitalized and debriefed, many of the doctors and psychologists were amazed by the resiliency of a majority of the men. [24] However, eyewitness accounts by American servicemen present a different account of their captivity. WASHINGTON, Jan. 27The State Department tonight released the list of American civilians acknowledged by North Vietnam as having been captured in South Vietnam during the Vietnam war. He was the first living recipient of the medal.Risner became an ace in the Korean War and commanded a squadron of F-105 Thunderchiefs in the first missions of Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965. The march soon deteriorated into near riot conditions, with North Vietnamese civilians beating the POWs along the 2 miles (3.2km) route and their guards largely unable to restrain the attacks. Dennis A., Navy, Scottsdale, Ariz. MOORE, Capt, Ernest M., Jr., Navy Lemoore, Calif. MULLEN, Comdr. He did it so he would not forget where the camps were. Jeremiah Denton later said, They beat you with fists and fan belts. dell, Marines, Newport, N. C. MILLER, Lieut. Prisoners were variously isolated, starved, beaten, tortured, and paraded in anti-American propaganda. Hanoi's list of Americans in captivity is as follows: Clodeon Adkins, Michael D. Benge, Norman J. Brookens, Frank E. Cins, Gary L. Davos, John J. Fritz Jr., Theodore W. Gosta, William H. Hardy, Alexander Henderson, Mihcael H. Kjome, Philip W. Manhard, Lewis E. Mayer, James A. Newingham, Robert F. Olsen, Russell J. Most of the museum is dedicated to the buildings time as the Maison Centrale, the colonial French prison, with cells on display that once held Vietnamese revolutionaries. During the French colonial period, Vietnamese prisoners were detained and tortured at the Ha L prison. Leo T., Navy, Palo Alto, Calif. PURRINGTON, Lieut. The Hanoi prison is located at No.01, Hoa Lo, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, known as Hanoi Hilton Prison. Whats more, the museum displays a flight suit and parachute labeled as belonging to McCain, from when he was shot down over Hanoi except theyre fake. After Operation Homecoming, the U.S. still listed about 1,350 Americans as prisoners of war or missing in action and sought the return of roughly 1,200 Americans reported killed in action and body not recovered. It turned out that when Henry Kissinger went to Hanoi after the first round of releases, the North Vietnamese gave him a list of the next 112 men scheduled to be sent home. RATZLAFF, Lieut. Hanoi Lists of P.O.W. Comdr, Earl G., Jr., Navy, San Diego. All visitors may be screened with a metal detector upon entry. McGrath also made drawings of his captivity, several of which appear in this exhibit. In addition, Ha L was depicted in the 1987 Hollywood movie The Hanoi Hilton. Harry T Navy, Lemoore, Calif. KERNAN, Lieut. - Firearms* Kenneth H., Navy, home town unknown, captured. He flew a combined 163 combat, The Most Influential Contemporary Americans, Every Person Who Has Hosted 'Saturday Night Live', The Best People Who Hosted SNL In The '00s. The list that the North Vietnamese turned over to American officials in Paris today named 27 American civilians as prisoners of the Vietcong, and listed seven other Americans as having died in captivity. Robinson Risner and James Stockdale, two senior officers who were the de facto leaders of the POWs, were held in solitary for three and four years, respectively. Locations of POW camps in North Vietnam . After reading about the gruesome conditions that awaited American POWs in the Hanoi Hilton, read about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which first sparked the Vietnam War. Together, these 11 men were the most unbreakable prisoners at the Hanoi Hilton. Before the American prisoners gave the prison its now-infamous name, the Hanoi Hilton was a French colonial prison called La Maison Centrale. American POWs in Vietnam struggled to survive horrid conditions, physical pain, and psychological deprivation, often for years on end. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}21131N 1055047E / 21.02528N 105.84639E / 21.02528; 105.84639. Cmdr. The Vietnamese, however, knew it as the Ha L Prison, which translates to fiery furnace. Some Americans called it the hell hole.. He had led aerial attacks from the carrier USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident. Everett, Jr. Navy, Santa Clara, Calif., captured August, 1964. HUTTON, Comdr. "Vietnam War Accounting History". Weapons, Return with Honor: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia. [26] Others were not among them; there were defiant church services[27] and an effort to write letters home that only portrayed the camp in a negative light. Two months later, in what became known as the Hanoi March, 52 American prisoners of war were paraded through the streets of Hanoi before thousands of North Vietnamese civilians. tured 1967. [37] Tran Trong Duyet, a jailer at Hoa Lo beginning in 1968 and its commandant for the last three years of the war, maintained in 2008 that no prisoners were tortured. John McCains alleged flight suit and parachute, on the display at the former Hanoi Hilton. [9][11][12] The aim of the torture was usually not acquiring military information. The agreement also postulated for the release of nearly 600 American prisoners of war (POWs) held by North Vietnam and its allies within 60 days of the withdrawal of U.S. SWINDLE, Mai, Orson G., Marines, captured November, 1966. Accounted-For: This report includes the U.S. personnel whose remains have been recovered and identified since the end of the war. (U.S. Air Force photo). Operation Homecoming initially ignited a torrent of patriotism that had not been seen at any point during the Vietnam War. The "Hanoi Hilton" and Other Prisons The most notorious POW camp was Hoa Lo Prison, known to Americans as the "Hanoi Hilton." The name Hoa Lo refers to a potter's kiln, but loosely translated it means "hell's hole" or "fiery furnace." Hoa Lo's 20-foot walls, topped with barbed wire and broken glass, made escape nearly impossible. The code was based on two-number combinations that represented each letter. Charles R., Navy, Miramar, Calif. HAINES, Comdr. Operation Homecoming has been largely forgotten by the American public, yet ceremonies commemorating the 40th anniversary were held at United States military bases and other locations throughout Asia and the United States. One of them died from the torture which followed his recapture. Leslie H. Sabo, Joseph William Kittinger II (born July 27, 1928) is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a USAF Command Pilot. Render, James U. Rollins, Thomas Rushton, Richard H. S auliudin g, Laurence J. Stark, Floyd J. Thompson, Richard W. Utecht, Richard G. Waldhaus, Eugene A. Weaver, and Charles E. Willis. The POWs held at the Hanoi Hilton were to deny early release because the communist government of North Vietnam could possibly use this tactic as propaganda or as a . While the raid failed to free any POWs and was considered a significant intelligence failure, it had several positive implications for American prisoners. The final phase was the relocation of the POWs to military hospitals.[2]. The Hoa Lo Prison was built by the French in Hanoi from 1886 to 1889 and from 1898 to 1901 when the country was part of French Indochina. Following the first release, twenty prisoners were then moved to a different section of the prison, but the men knew something was wrong as several POWs with longer tenures were left in their original cells. Topics included a wide range of inquiries about sadistic guards, secret communication codes among the prisoners, testimonials of faith, and debates over celebrities and controversial figures. Leonard C., Navy, Bemardson, Mass. Frank A. Sieverts, the State Department official charged with prisoner affairs, said that Hanoi apparently did not inelude any information on Americans captured or missing in Laos or Cambodia, despite the provision in the ceasefire agreement to account for all Americans throughout Indochina. James J. Jr., Marines, not named in previous lists. . If you get note, scratch balls as you are coming back..